The Dream Life Of Vengeance
by itsaddiewoo
Summary: After being left at the altar by Sir Anthony Strallen, Lady Edith finally seeks revenge...
1. Scene 1

_Edith, I can't do this. I want you to be happy, but you cannot be happy with me... _

Sir Anthony Strallen's heartbreaking last words were like daggers in her heart. Edith lies awake amidst a torn wedding dress, tear stricken cloths, and tangled sheets. _Why me? _She wonders. Thoughts of her disastrous wedding play over and over again in her mind. _He was supposed to make me terribly, terribly happy_. _We were supposed to be together, forever..._ She lets out a sobbing moan as she rolls over, shuts her eyes, and for once, after days of restlessness, falls deeply asleep.


	2. Scene 2

"Edith, dear," Cora mutters. "Please do show _some_ sort of emotion."

Edith glances over the breakfast table, towards her mother. She knows Cora could never possibly understand what has happened, even if _did_ happen weeks ago. No one understands, for the matter. Everyone lives so perfectly, while Edith is always pushed to the corner, alone. Her mother has had it _so _easy... a rich upbringing, a loving husband, healthy children. She can't possibly understand what Edith is going through.

"Edith, for heavens sake, you've been in this trance for weeks. I think it's time you — "

"To _what, _mother? To go about my days as if nothing has happened? Is that what you want me to do?" Edith cries.

"Frankly, no, Edith. But I think you pouting about doesn't solve anything," Cora replies.

Edith lets out a loud sigh. "Then what am I supposed to do, Mama?"

"You can start by letting me at least _talk _to you about what happened."

Edith stares blankly at her mother.

The sight of her daughter nearly brings tears to Cora's eyes. _I have never seen her this upset, _Cora thinks. Deep, bruise-colored circles line her once-sparkling eyes. Her hair, which is usually curled in a perfect style, is filthy and disheveled. She rises from her seat and walks over to Edith, taking her feeble body in her arms. For a brief moment, Edith quivers at Cora's sudden touch, but gradually wraps her arms around her mother. Edith begins to whimper.

"Oh, dear. No more tears... It's going to be alright." Cora says reassuringly.

Edith turns away from her mother, as Cora kneels beside her.

"No mother, it's not alright. Nothing is alright. The only man I have ever loved has left me at the altar, what could be worse than that? I'm destined to live alone, forever... A spinster is all I will ever be," Edith cries.

"Edith, listen to me. We haven't all had it easy, either. After all, I was pressured into marrying your father, as if my own father's selfish ways took precedent over my happiness. For years, I lived an outsider in my home, while everyone told me I would never belong. Did I take that ridicule and simply give up? Not one bit. I turned their doubt into resilience... which is exactly what you must do. We Crawley's mustn't live in doubt. We must learn from these little obstacles, for they only make us _stronger." _

Edith glances up at her mother, wide-eyed.

"But, I just can't seem to think of the two of us carrying on separately. In my mind, we — we were always supposed to be together," Edith stutters.

"What Sir Anthony did to you is on his own conscious, Edith dear. It was not right, but now _he_ must live with that. You mustn't succumb to his suffering. He is the one who has truly lost here," Cora replies.

_Perhaps she does have a point, then, _Edith thinks. No sooner did this realization occur did Edith's grief-stricken face suddenly turn cold.

"Are you alright, Edith? You look as if you've seen a ghost," Cora says worriedly.

"I'm fine, Mama. I'm just now realizing that you are indeed right. What Sir Anthony did was wrong... Horrific even. I can't live _my _life sorrowing over his mistake," Edith replies, while silently thinking to herself, _he must pay for this somehow. _

"Oh, Edith. I'm _so_ glad. Why don't you freshen up and meet your Grandmother and I for tea this afternoon?" Cora asks.

"Yes, Mama. I think I need to go out for a bit, though... Get some fresh air, walk around the town for awhile. Have Carson fetch the car for me, will you?"

"Anything to see you brighten up, dear," Cora responds gleefully.

Cora informs Carson of Lady Edith's travels, while Edith leaves the table. On her way to her room, a plan unfurls in her mind... A plan for _revenge. _


	3. Scene 3

Edith dashes into Lord Grantham's study, opening various drawers and cabinets. _I know he keeps one in here, somewhere_, Edith thinks. She overturns stacks of books, papers, and files, and finally finds the revolver laying behind her father's newest novella collection. Just as Edith places the gun in her bag, Lord Grantham enters the room.

"Edith, my love, what are you rummaging about in here for?" Edith's father asks, slowly walking towards her.

"Oh — oh, nothing, Papa... Nothing at all. I was just looking for you, actually. I wanted to see if you needed anything in town... I'm heading there right now," Edith manages to spit out, despite her racing heart.

"That's very sweet of you, but I don't think I'm in need of anything. I'm just thankful to see my daughter happy again," Lord Grantham replies, looking at Edith with pride.

"Me too, Papa. Me too," Edith exclaims.

Edith places a small kiss on her father's cheek and wishes him a lovely afternoon. She descends the staircase, opens the front doors, and walks to the car. After stepping inside, Edith realizes her hands are shaking uncontrollably.

"Where to, Lady Edith?" the chauffeur asks.

"You can just drop me off in town. No need to wait around, though. Could you pick me up at four this afternoon, though? I mustn't be late for tea with Granny and Mama," Edith explains.

The chauffeur pulls out of the graveled path as Lady Edith glances back at her home. When she returns, life as she knows it will never be the same.


	4. Scene 4

The car rolls to a stop as Edith glances nervously outside the glass windows. _I need somewhere to go, somewhere I can distract myself from this_. Edith spots a fruit vendor in the distance and reassures herself she will reside there until the car is completely out of sight.

"Lady Edith? Are you alright, Miss?" the chauffeur asks, standing outside the automobile with the passenger door hinged open.

"Oh, ye — yes," Edith replies, frazzled.

Edith grabs her bag and steps out of the car. The chauffeur shuts the door behind her, walks back to the driver's side, and steps inside. Edith tries her best to wave him farewell, but she cannot seem to stop her hands from insistently shaking. She glances around her, trying to look as casual as possible. _It's not everyday you prepare yourself for a murder_, she thinks to herself. Chuckling slightly, Edith walks over to the cart of fresh fruit, praying that she doesn't run into anyone she knows.


	5. Scene 5

Edith begins her to trek to Sir Anthony Strallen's house. From their many drives together, Edith could travel the route to his house in her sleep if she had to. As she walks, her mind begins to wander. _He must be home at this hour_, she thinks. _He's a cripple, after all... What could he possibly be doing? _Edith finds herself questioning what she even saw in him in the first place. Having so great of an age difference never really bothered her until now. _What an old hog_, she thinks. _Who does he think he is, jilting me, Edith Crawley, at the altar? _

Before she has even realized, Edith has arrived at Sir Anthony's estate. Edith sees his automobile parked in front of his home, which brings a rush of memories in her mind... _Shake it off, Edith. Focus._

Edith runs over to the towering bushes in front of Sir Anthony's gated drive. _I completely forgot about the gates, _Edith thinks, shaking her head. But, she'd come all this way — she wasn't going to let this blunder stop her now.

She realizes she must decide on one of two options: slip between the bars or climb over them. Knowing that inching herself in between the tiny slits of the gate was not the most probable option, Edith opts to climb over the gates. Although they weren't mountainous, she knew getting over them wasn't going to be easy.

Edith steps on to the bottom ridge of the gate, slinging her bag tightly around her body. Standing on the tops of her feet, Edith raises her hands and firmly grasps the top crossbar. With all of her strength, she pulls herself over the top of the gate. _That wasn't so bad_, Edith thinks. Just as that thought crossed her mind, Edith topples forward, leaving the top half of her body over the gate, while the other half flays widely in the air.

_Bloody hell_, Edith swears under her breath. _I must act quickly... I cannot have Sir Anthony see me_. Without any hesitation, Edith tries to propel herself forward. May it be the rush of adrenaline through her body or the fear of being caught, Edith somehow manages to fling her entire body over the gate and crash into a bed of flowers, ripping her dress along the way. _I'll have to come up with some excuse for that one later_, Edith thinks, rolling her eyes.

Edith brushes herself off and looks towards the house. She realizes she must crawl around the perimeter of the gated yard in order to reach Sir Anthony's home without being seen. She sighs slightly. _I can do this... I need to do this. _With a relinquished sense of strength, Edith begins to make her way through the flowers, bushes, and shrubs.

Eventually, Edith crawls to the far corner of the house. At this point, she can see Sir Anthony reading in his study. _Perfect_, she thinks. _I'll just walk straight through the door and there he'll be_. Edith, cautious of staying beneath the view of the front windows, dashes over to the front of the house. Crawling through the garden, she finally makes her way to the front steps. Edith slips her hand into her bag, pulling out her father's revolver. _This is it... He will finally pay for what he has done._

Without even second guessing herself, Edith runs up the steps, barges into the front door, and points the gun directly at Sir Anthony. He jumps up from his chair, widening his eyes in fear as he looks up to see Edith Crawley standing before him.

"Edith, what on _Earth_ are you doing here?" Sir Anthony screams.

"You know exactly what I'm doing," Edith shouts.

Her hands, which gripped the revolver tightly, began to shake in worry. _Just pull the trigger, just do it now_.

"Edith, my dear, could we at least talk — "

"No, we can't. _You_ left me at the altar, _you _left me alone... After you promised me — us — a lifetime of happiness. How could you? How could you do that to me? To us?"

Tears began to stream down Edith's face.

"Lady Edith, I never intended to make you feel that way. I just wanted what was best for you. You could never marry me, I'm far too old. You wouldn't get a chance to be a wife, you would have wasted your life away taking care of me," Sir Anthony cries.

"But you're _wrong! _I would have made you so terribly happy. You just couldn't see, you never could see. You once said that I had given you your life back... Well, I'm — I'm here to take it away. Once and for all. Forever," Edith weeps.

Outside Sir Anthony's estate, a shot is heard.


	6. Scene 6

Sun begins to stream through Lady Edith's bedroom window as a slight knock is heard at her door.

"Lady Edith, I brought you some breakfast," Anna whispers.

Edith stirs in her bed, rubbing her eyes and yawning in exhaustion. As her eyes adjust to the sunlit room, she notices everything in place as she last left it. Cloths were drenched in tears, bedsheets were tangled in distress — even her wedding dress was still on, tangled and torn. _What on Earth,_ Edith wonders. She sits up and calls for Anna to come in.

Anna enters Lady Edith's room with a tray of tea, bicuits, and fresh fruit. She walks over to Lady Edith's bedside table and places the tray there.

"I thought you might want a little something to eat, m'lady. You've been locked in your room for a couple days. We've all been so worried about you," Anna says.

"A couple of days?" Edith asks, looking quite confused.

"Well, yes, m'lady. Are you alright? You look as if you're not well," Anna wonders.

"I — I... Well, I don't really know. I've just had the most horrible, horrible dream," Edith stammers.

_Edith, I can't do this. I want you to be happy, but you cannot be happy with me... _


End file.
